What to do with these "gifts"?

[Zing]

Soap Peeps, Lord knows I love my dear sister and she and BIL are my biggest cheerleaders. She just gave me tons of gifts and has the best of intentions but what the heck? I'm trying to keep this a family show here so I'll see what I can get away with here. I used these lavender petals on my most recent soap, Lav 'n' Patch . In the package they were nice purple buds -- and now my soap is decorated with MOUSE TURDS!! MOUSE TURDS, PEOPLE!! What the kitten love? I spent so much time with a fork trying to flick them out and have barely made a dent. AND they made track marks when I cut the bars. The brand is called "Soap Expressions" -- why is it legal to sell something that is so destructive??!! I can't imagine it working with melt and pour either.

She also gave me rose buds and chamomile buds. I'm not really into putting flowers on my soap and after what happened with the mouse turds, I'm ready to toss all of it.

And sooo many clear plastic molds with intricate designs, words, and nubbies. There's no way I can pour CP batter in and expect to unmold an aesthetically appealing soap.

She's the type to give gifts and then visit and expect to see them used/displayed/hung/read/adored. Maybe I'll get some M&P base for the molds. As for the flowers, erg erg erg!

 

[msunnerstood]

Yeah lavender buds always look like mouse turds. As far as the other botanicals, you can probably get away with them on top of your soap. If you dont want to do that, use them in your product photography.

 

[msunnerstood]

OR, infuse them into oils for your body butters.

 

[Misschief]

OR, use them in bath salts.

 

[dibbles]

OR, make bath teas (in sealable tea bags or drawstring muslin bags) and gift some to her.
eta: I saw your other post. The soaps in question are pretty. Can you plane or slice off the offending tops? I'd save one bar and give it to her - then she can see first hand what the botanicals do and won't be looking for soaps with petals in or on them.

 

[Zing]

OR, make bath teas (in sealable tea bags or drawstring muslin bags) and gift some to her.
eta: I saw your other post. The soaps in question are pretty. Can you plane or slice off the offending tops? I'd save one bar and give it to her - then she can see first hand what the botanicals do and won't be looking for soaps with petals in or on them.

Thanks. I don't know why I didn't think to plane off those fugly tops!

 

[dmcgee5034]

I’m so glad I read your experience with the botanicals. I had a friend gift me a box of a variety of them and I’ve never used them. I like @Misschief and @dibbles ideas. Off to find muslin bags!

 

[BWt]

Put the botanicals in a clean coffee grinder (blade style). Raw rice cleans these perfectly and thrift stores often have them.
Grind the botanicals very fine. Then use them as recommended by @Misschief @dibbles @msunnerstood

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I don’t have the problem with botanicals turning brown on soap tops now that I use a 40% lye concentration, but did back in the day when I was using a lower concentration (33-35%?). I don’t have an explanation. I like using ground up lavender buds to intentionally create brown speckles in soap. Works like a charm . I’ve also used lavender-infused oil in soap along with lavender eo (40/42 or lavandin) and it seems to help with the retention of the lavender scent.

These lotion bars made in plastic molds look pretty terrific. If only you knew how to make lotion bars

 

[KiwiMoose]

Thanks. I don't know why I didn't think to plane off those fugly tops!

Save one bar with the mouse turds on it to give to your sister. Maybe she will think twice before she gives them to you again, lol.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Blue cornflower petals seem to hold their color and chamomile buds seem to stay unchanged (start ugly, stay ugly in my opinion), but everything else I've tried turns to ugly brown. I'll have to try a 40% lye solution as @Mobjack Bay does and see if that makes a difference. I really would like to use rose petals on my goat milk rose swirl soap, but my current approach turns brown in a few weeks. Will try the 40% soon.
Oh, to avoid drag marks from botanicals, flip the soap over so that you are cutting from the bottom to the top.

 

[scmorgans]

Soap Peeps, Lord knows I love my dear sister and she and BIL are my biggest cheerleaders. She just gave me tons of gifts and has the best of intentions but what the heck? I'm trying to keep this a family show here so I'll see what I can get away with here. I used these lavender petals on my most recent soap, Lav 'n' Patch . In the package they were nice purple buds -- and now my soap is decorated with MOUSE TURDS!! MOUSE TURDS, PEOPLE!! What the kitten love? I spent so much time with a fork trying to flick them out and have barely made a dent. AND they made track marks when I cut the bars. The brand is called "Soap Expressions" -- why is it legal to sell something that is so destructive??!! I can't imagine it working with melt and pour either.

She also gave me rose buds and chamomile buds. I'm not really into putting flowers on my soap and after what happened with the mouse turds, I'm ready to toss all of it.

And sooo many clear plastic molds with intricate designs, words, and nubbies. There's no way I can pour CP batter in and expect to unmold an aesthetically appealing soap.

She's the type to give gifts and then visit and expect to see them used/displayed/hung/read/adored. Maybe I'll get some M&P base for the molds. As for the flowers, erg erg erg!

Or...... you could make soy room fresheners with them! I grow flowers for farm bouquets and use some of the dried flowers as decorations!

 

[lsg]

You can use the dried flowers to make potpourri. Potpourri Gives New Life to Old Flowers

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

Or...... you could make soy room fresheners with them! I grown flowers for farm bouquets and use some of the dried flowers as decorations!

I've used plaster of paris to make room air fresheners; Sprinkle the botanicals on top of the wet plaster. When dry, sprinkle with a few drops of EO. You can also refresh the scent by adding drops of EO

I used these lavender petals on my most recent soap...

She also gave me rose buds and chamomile buds.

And sooo many clear plastic molds with intricate designs, words, and nubbies. There's no way I can pour CP batter in and expect to unmold an aesthetically appealing soap.

She's the type to give gifts and then visit and expect to see them used/displayed/hung/read/adored. Maybe I'll get some M&P base for the molds. As for the flowers, erg erg erg!

1) Lavender and Chamomile make LOVELY tea! If you're really not into them, you can compost it all.

2) Use her molds for her soaps; if you give soap to her as gifts. Maybe if you give her enough of just those molded ones, none of your other designs, she'll get the idea and ask you to stop.

3) A gift is a gift; not an obligation!
She has no right to force HER choices onto you. You are a grown- @.$.$. adult! You are more than capable of deciding what YOU need in YOUR life. She did not consult you on how SHE spent HER money. You do not need to cater to her narcissism in your own home environment. They are just things! I apologize for my frankness on this! This is a hill I am willing to die on.

 

[Misschief]

AND they made track marks when I cut the bars.

Instead of cutting bars like this with top facing up, cut them upside down or with the top edge facing towards you, depending on how you normally cut.

 

[Zing]

I've used plaster of paris to make room air fresheners; Sprinkle the botanicals on top of the wet plaster. When dry, sprinkle with a few drops of EO. You can also refresh the scent by adding drops of EO



1) Lavender and Chamomile make LOVELY tea! If you're really not into them, you can compost it all.

2) Use her molds for her soaps; if you give soap to her as gifts. Maybe if you give her enough of just those molded ones, none of your other designs, she'll get the idea and ask you to stop.

3) A gift is a gift; not an obligation!
She has no right to force HER choices onto you. You are a grown- @.$.$. adult! You are more than capable of deciding what YOU need in YOUR life. She did not consult you on how SHE spent HER money. You do not need to cater to her narcissism in your own home environment. They are just things! I apologize for my frankness on this! This is a hill I am willing to die on.

I guess I pushed a button there! Dear dear Sis and I are super close and we're super aligned on caring for my rapidly aging dad. Because she's in his town, she has the largest burden so I cut her a lot of slack. I do think that buying and giving stuff is one of her love languages. It's only in the last 2 years that she finally agreed that the adults in our extended family will no longer exchange Christmas gifts -- gifts only for the kiddos under 18.

I do think I have some educating to do, melt and pour versus cold process soap. I like the idea of using her molds just for her and then I can say I tried.

 

[Zing]

Instead of cutting bars like this with top facing up, cut them upside down or with the top edge facing towards you, depending on how you normally cut.

Where's the emoji for slapping myself upside the head I could have had a V-8??!!

 

[Misschief]

Where's the emoji for slapping myself upside the head I could have had a V-8??!!

I know, right? Sometimes it's the simplest solutions that evade us.

 

[dibbles]

Where's the emoji for slapping myself upside the head I could have had a V-8??!!

(close enough)

 

[TheGecko]

My sister bought me an absolutely gorgeous set of micas. OMG...the colors! I really hated telling her that I couldn't use them because they are made for 'arts and crafts' and are not made to be used in cold process soap. A few weeks later, she bought me some molds to make her some soap...like in the picture. (sigh). At least they were silicone. I bought a block of M&P and she was happy.